Denver Botanic Gardens' School of Botanical Art and Illustration is designed to teach the skills necessary to portray plants accurately both for scientific purposes and for beautiful plant illustrations. The school is open for everybody, both for committed illustrator and enthusiastic amateur. The program can lead to a Certificate that is offered only a few locations worldwide. The Certificate Program was initiated and established in 1990 by Angela Overy.

It takes a gifted artist to become a great teacher and those who dare to teach never cease to learn.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Each year the School of Botanical Illustration awards scholarships for new students who are 15 years or older and
planning to enroll in any of the required classes in
Denver Botanic Gardens School of Botanical Art and Illustration. In 2013 we have three recipients:
1. Karen Boggs Bryant earned a certificate in Botanical Illustration in 1992 from Denver Botanic Garden's newly established Certificate program for Botanical Illustration. Her intention is to complete the current Foundational Certificate and continue for our Diploma.

(Sandhill Cranes by Rebecca Corbett)

2. Rebecca Corbett has a degree in Medical Biology, works in a hospital and from time to time does medical illustration for her colleagues. She is already enrolled in the botanical illustration courses and her goal is, after the certificate in Botanical Illustration continue for the Masters of the Arts degree.

(A Whale greeting card by Libby Bryant)

3. Libby Bryant starts with her very first Botanical Illustration class in January 2014. For her the discovery of the School of Botanical Illustration is the best gift anyone could have given me right now.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Registration for the winter - spring 2014 courses opens tomorrow, 9 a.m. Course
catalog can be viewed by clicking here (the downloadable pdf is available by clicking here) You can register on-line, per phone: 720-865 -3580 (voice-mail), 720-865-3670 and 720-865-3653, or in-person (coffee and gingersnaps are served while you are waiting).

For your inspiration you can see a few images from our recent, mainly entry level courses by clicking here.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

As 2013 comes to a close, the School of Botanical Art &
Illustration has been generously offered a challenge grant. For every
new dollar donated to the School of Botanical Art and Illustration between
today and December 30, 2013, a generous donor has agreed to match your
gift. Funds will go to the classroom, mainly
to resurface the drafting tables which now after six years of heavy usage are
really in need of an overhaul. This is a great opportunity to enhance the
School’s resources. The timing is perfect
and your gift will be fully tax deductible as allowed by law.

You can transfer your gift in three different ways:

1. Process
your secure gift online by clicking herea. Indicate
the Donation amountb. Select “School
of Botanical Art and Illustration” from the designationdrop-down menu.c. Click the
“Continue” button and proceed to the Checkout

Friday, November 22, 2013

In addition to the Foundation Certificate we now also offer a Diploma in Botanical illustration opens our doors to students who have earned the basic scientific illustration skills outside the School of Botanical Art and Illustration.It will also provide a deeper understanding in any medium and offer on-the-job experience through its supervised independent study as a scientific/botanical illustrator.

You can view the new course catalog by clicking the image above or the image in the right hand column. If you like to print out the catalog, the pdf-file can be printed (Google account most likely needed) by clicking here.

Registration starts on December 10, 9 a.m. (prior to December 10th the classes will appear sold out).

Thursday, November 21, 2013

(in the upper image no blue color was used - the lower image shows the same subject matter but without any yellow and blue added, Randy Raak, instructor, colored pencil - the numbers refer to Polychromos, please click to enlarge)

We recently completed an advanced level workshop which followed James Gurney's book "Color and Light" focusing on a botanical subject matter. The students learned about gamut mapping and limited palettes and found it to be extremely helpful in botanical work- Please see more images from this course in addition to some other classroom shots by clicking here.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Denver
Botanic Gardens has transformed utterly over the many decades that I have
worked and visited here--but perhaps no facet of the Gardens has surprised me
more than the extraordinary success of our Botanical Illustrations program. The
first class on Botanical Illustration was taught in October of 1979 by Ann
Cunningham. Angela Overy is credited for really formalizing the program at the
Gardens: she and Rob Proctor taught botanical illustration regularly through
the 1980's, and in 1990 Angela established the Botanical Illustration
Certificate Program--the first of its kind worldwide. (fore more information, please click here)

Denver
Botanic Gardens has transformed utterly over the many decades that I
have worked and visited here--but perhaps no facet of the Gardens has
surprised me more than the extraordinary success of our Botanical
Illustrations program. - See more at:
http://www.botanicgardens.org/blog/botanical-artistry-celebrated#sthash.RKf9Wdd3.dpuf

Denver
Botanic Gardens has transformed utterly over the many decades that I
have worked and visited here--but perhaps no facet of the Gardens has
surprised me more than the extraordinary success of our Botanical
Illustrations program. - See more at:
http://www.botanicgardens.org/blog/botanical-artistry-celebrated#sthash.RKf9Wdd3.dpuf

Denver
Botanic Gardens has transformed utterly over the many decades that I
have worked and visited here--but perhaps no facet of the Gardens has
surprised me more than the extraordinary success of our Botanical
Illustrations program. - See more at:
http://www.botanicgardens.org/blog/botanical-artistry-celebrated#sthash.RKf9Wdd3.dpuf

Denver
Botanic Gardens has transformed utterly over the many decades that I
have worked and visited here--but perhaps no facet of the Gardens has
surprised me more than the extraordinary success of our Botanical
Illustrations program. - See more at:
http://www.botanicgardens.org/blog/botanical-artistry-celebrated#sthash.RKf9Wdd3.dpuf

Denver
Botanic Gardens has transformed utterly over the many decades that I
have worked and visited here--but perhaps no facet of the Gardens has
surprised me more than the extraordinary success of our Botanical
Illustrations program. - See more at:
http://www.botanicgardens.org/blog/botanical-artistry-celebrated#sthash.RKf9Wdd3.dpuf

Denver
Botanic Gardens has transformed utterly over the many decades that I
have worked and visited here--but perhaps no facet of the Gardens has
surprised me more than the extraordinary success of our Botanical
Illustrations program. - See more at:
http://www.botanicgardens.org/blog/botanical-artistry-celebrated#sthash.RKf9Wdd3.dpufDenver
Botanic Gardens has transformed utterly over the many decades that I
have worked and visited here--but perhaps no facet of the Gardens has
surprised me more than the extraordinary success of our Botanical
Illustrations program. - See more at:
http://www.botanicgardens.org/blog/botanical-artistry-celebrated#sthash.RKf9Wdd3.dpuf

Saturday, November 9, 2013

2013 Graduate show opening reception and graduation ceremony will be held on

November 17, 1 - 3 p.m. at Denver Botanic Gardens (El Pomar Gallery and Gates Hall).
Join us to celebrate the fourteen new botanical art and illustration graduates from Denver Botanic Gardens School of Botanical Art and Illustration.
Family and friends are welcome!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Scratchboard was introduced more than one hundred years ago, the technique evolved out of the needs of artisans to find an inexpensive alternative to woodcut and metal engraving.

Pen and Ink on clayboard is one of the most adaptable and forgiving combinations of pigment medium and surface. Please see some images from our entry level scratchboard class held during the past weekend by clicking here.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Stories give meaning to everything, from
mythical legends to journalistic reports, from marketing strategies to
political ideologies. The story is always for free; it's the bait, the cure and
the hope. For the last 15 years, Beatricé Coron has been exploring
visual storytelling in artist books, paper cutting and public art. Collecting
memories from individuals and communities, she stages narrative allegories in
silhouette to create a dialogue with the viewer in playful fantasies.

Beatricé Coron has lived in France
(her native country), Egypt and Mexico for one year each and China for two
years. She moved to New York in 1985 where she reinvented herself as an artist.
Coron's oeuvre includes illustration, book arts, fine art and public art. She
cuts her characteristic silhouette designs in paper and Tyvek. She also creates
works in stone, glass, metal, rubber, stained glass and digital media.

Her work has been purchased by major museum collections, such as the
Metropolitan Museum, The Walker Art Center and The Getty. Her public art can be
seen in subways, airport and sports facilities, among others.

Beatricé Coron teaches a 3-day"Shadow and Light" workshop at the School of Botanical Art and Illustration on November 8 - 10. We have two openings left, this is an opportunity not to be missed! For more information please click here.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

We have had a hectic fall in the classroom with several visiting instructors and the "normal" offerings filling the schedule. Please see some more images from our fall classes by clicking here. Also you get a first view of our spring offerings by clicking here (Google account required).

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

A brief history of the ancient art of glass blowing, beginning 60,000
years ago and continuing to the Modern American Studio Glass Movement.

Kit Karbler is owner and operator of Blake
Street Glass Studio since 1979 in Denver, Colorado. With over 35 years of
experience working hot glass into sculptural forms, Mr. Karbler brings along
insight into the history of glassmaking and the human evolution that follows it
into the 21st century. His works are collected internationally in corporate
collections and museums as well as by glass collectors around the world.

Kit Karbler is committed to his community by sharing his studio with
students in metro Denver. His annual “Ornament Extravaganza”, benefiting
Children’s Hospital, now in its 18th year, is well-known throughout the state
of Colorado.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The glass village of Nuutajärvi
with its picturesque buildings is home to Finland’s oldest glassworks and
largest community of independent glass designers, glassblowers and a glass
school. The oldest factory of Nuutajärvi Glass was founded in 1793, and it is
the oldest glass factory in Finland that is still in function. Today Nuutajärvi
factory site is still one of the most well-preserved industrial milieus in
Finland representing the solid Neo-renaissance architecture style. The oldest
buildings are the bell tower from the 18th century and the empire style manor
house built in 1822. Worker huts have been built between 1860s and 1940s. Nowadays
the factory produces famous Finnish art glass. For instance, the birds of OivaToikka are made here.

(Visavuori, Emil Wickström´s home and studio)

Visavuori, the museum of the life and works of
sculptor Emil Wikström (1864-1942) and his grandson, cartoonist KariSuomalainen (1920-1999) was our second stop after a short drive from Nuutajärvi.
This place is said to be the most beautiful museum in Finland. Wikström
designed the buildings himself, beginning in 1894 with a combined studio and
home. It was destroyed by fire in 1896 and rebuilt in 1902 in the national
romantic style with many art nouveau details, and is the finest example of
Karelian architecture in existence.

(Orchid by Timo Sarpaneva, crystal, air bubble made with a wet wooden stick, cut and polished, Triennale di Milano1954, named for the most beautiful object of the year 1954)

After Visavuori we visited and got
an excellent tour of the Iittala Glass factory which was opened after the
Senate of Imperial Finland granted a permit for a glass factory in April 1881.
We saw the famous designs of Alvar Aalto, Tapio Wirkkala, Timo Sarpaneva, and Kaj Frank. The heart of Iittala’s design philosophy is formulated along Kaj
Franck’s early thinking. According to Franck, “objects should always be
appropriate, durable and functional.” This is why one of the most important
functions of design is to make sure that objects designed for everyday use
should be universally usable. We spent a long time in the actual factory
studying how the production and quality control operated at Iittala.

(Interior from Hvitträsk)

Hvitträsk museum which was the last
stop for the day before our hotel Kalastajatorppa in Helsinki. Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen,
Herman Gesellius, and Armas Lindgren created this artistic, lakeside retreat
for themselves between 1901 and 1904. The three men had established their
partnership a few years earlier and built Hvitträsk to consolidate their
practice and to escape the congestion and noise of city life. The main
building, designed in National Romantic style, built of logs and natural stone,
was both a common studio and a home for Eliel Saarinen.

Even though we were
late and arrived after closing time, we got a very informative tour of the museum
and were also given some time to explore the building and environment on our
own.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Our Beginner's Techniques for Botanical illumination course was completed last week. The goal was to finalize one decorated letter by using gouache, ink and acrylic paints. No gold leaf was used during this class.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Crossing the sea of Åland between
Sweden and Finland is always a joy and a maximal
experience of Nature’s beauty. Our day on the sea was filled with sunshine and
rest. Watching the 12-deck, 2800 passenger cruise ferry (212 meters long) navigate
the 350 km route through tens of thousands of islands in twelve hours provides its own
entertainment.

Finland’s oldest city Turku
welcomed us with blue skies and sunshine. We visited Åbo Akademi University (Åbo
is the Swedish name for Turku) library collections. This is the former Royal Academy of Abo, established in 1640. The library had prepared three different
exhibitions for us: 1. Historical documents (including Peter Kalm’s
dissertation, various Linnaeus’ material, Magnus von Wright’s bird
illustrations etc.)

(Herbarium Blackwellianum, Nurnberg 1757)

2. A collection of Tove Jansson’s early material and correspondance (Jansson was the creator
of the famous Muumincharacters);

(Tove Janssons' color swatches for one of her early books)

3. Children’s
books (Abo Akademi has the most complete collection of Finnish and
Finnish-Swedish children’s books in the country).The university is next to
Turku Cathedral established in the 13th century. The cathedral is
the mother church of the Lutheran Church of Finland. The Cathedral museum has a
valuable collection even though the once rich collections have been plundered during
various wars and damaged by fire.

In Aboa Vetus and Ars Nova
(Museum of History and Contemporary Art) we could on one hand see an
interesting underground area of ruins from earliest times in Turku, and on the
other hand we could see the most contemporary art imaginable in galleries.

(Part of the huge Turku castle)

Finally we visited the Turku Castledating back to 1280. Constructed
over centuries, it reached its current size in the 1500s and became a museum in
1881. It is today an important piece of architectural and cultural history and
one of the oldest buildings still in use in Finland.

Monday, September 16, 2013

..is too short time to explore even a fraction of the wealth of science
and art that is available in this old city of three crowns.

Our first stop was the Swedish Museum of Natural History, which is personally
very close to me as this institute was my employer for 10 fantastic years
before my move to the U.S.

(Swedish Museum of Natural History)

We were welcomed
by Prof. Arne Andeberg and curator Mia Ehn on the sunny Friday morning. Mia
presented us original Linnaeus plant material and the first Swedish flora from
1605 (still intact), all normally kept in the museums safe. We could study
unique 19th century illustrations from the extensive South-American
collection (Regnell collection). Already the second time during this trip we
saw newly discovered expedition material which was not yet published. Mia introduced us to Emma Hulten who has done
many of the current illustrations for the research division and we had the
opportunity to study her current illustrations material.

(one of the newly recovered illustrations from South America, 19th century)

Our second major
visit for this day was the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on her maiden voyage in
1628. Dr. Fred Hocker, Director of Research spent a fantastic three hours with
us presenting the ship including a tour of the research magazines which are not
available for public. A large part of the material stored there is not even
cataloged yet (artifacts including wood, fabrics, human remains, brandy and
metal). Finally before dinner we had a tour of the Old town and got a quick
lesson of Stockholm’s and Sweden’s history past and present.

(some of the decorations of the warship Vasa)

On Saturday morning we visited
at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts and had the possibility to see some
120 artworks by Carl Larsson, who is one of the best known and best loved
artists in Sweden – Larsson quickly became a favorite also for many of our tour
participants.

The Riddarholm Churchis
the oldest preserved building in Stockholm and the only surviving mediaeval
monastery church build around 1290. It is the royal burial church as well as
the national hall of remembrance and a given place to visit.

The K.A. Almgren Silk Mill
is the longest operating silk factory in Sweden, it was established 1833 and
closed in 1974; In 1991 the silk mill was reopened and is now a living museum.
The mill has produced fabrics for both royalty and commoners and the original
Jacquard loom from 1862 is still producing silk fabric today. In the museum
exhibition we could study the sketches for patterns and also the finished
products.

(In a Jacquard loom the pattern is transferred to the warp via a chain of punch cards)

The overview of Stockholm
would not be complete if one could not visit Skansenopen-air museum which is
the oldest of its type in the world, here we could see the Swedish folk culture
at its best/ We could also get familiar with many old crafts like how to
prepare linen from harvesting the plant to preparing the fiber and spinning the yarn.

Our last day in Stockholm
contained two highlights:

1. Visit to the Nordic Museum’s
archives and study of the museum’s amazing filing system in which each item was
painted and carefully described on the index cards by Emelie von Waltersdorff
(employed 1903-1933).

Uppsala University library was founded in 1620
by King Gustav II Adolf. The university was already been active for 143 years. In
1841 the library was moved to the newly build Carolina Rediviva. We spend our morning
in the special collections where we were shown rarities among the Early PrintedBooks, illustrations connected to Linnaeus and Olof Rudbeck (17th century). We were also able to see Charles De Geer’s outstanding
illustrations of insects and butterflies. As a special treat we could be among the first
ones to study the newly discovered collection of bird illustrations which most
likely are from the 17th-18th century, however at the moment
the artist or scientist behind this material is unknown.

The library’s special
exhibit included for instance the Silver Bible, Sweden’s most valuable book written
in the beginning of the 6th century, the oldest preserved original document written in Swedish from 1330 and Linnaeus' account of the reproductive system of plants from 1729 (no photos from this exhibit).